Jay-Z Enters the Headphone Market With the Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator Headphones
Skullcandy has partnered up with Jay-Z’s very own music publishing and entertainment company, Roc Nation, to produce the Roc Nation Aviator Headphones. Like many of Skullcandy’s other products, these headphones have a lot of aesthetical appeal. Skullcandy did an amazing job in producing a simple, sleek, and all around good-looking design. Unlike many other Skullcandy products however, the Roc Nation Aviator Headphones brought something completely new to the table. The Aviator line is Skullcandy’s first effort at producing high-quality, audiophile-grade headphones. If you are a fan of Skullcandy designs, but wished for more in terms of audio quality and listening enjoyment, the Aviator Heaphone line would be the way to go. Even Jay-Z himself was highly satisfied with these headphones:
“Our passion is creating amazing music. We’re dedicated to delivering the best in live performances. Now with the Roc Nation/Skullcandy partnership, we’re offering the best way for people to experience the soundtrack of their lives.”
Personally, I was surprised when I saw the price for a pair of these headphones. You can get them for only $150 on Amazon, which in my opinion, is an insanely good price for a pair of not only great-looking, but well-performing headphones.
Features
Platinum Sound Performance
Ideal Contour Fit
Optics-inspired Polycarbonate Speaker Housing
Premium Polished Surface
Stashable Travel Design
Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Polycarbonate
Specs
Speaker Diameter: 40mm
Driver Type: Mylar
Magnet Type: Neodymium
Frequency Response: 20-20k Hz
Impedance: 65 ohms
Nominal Input Power: 40mW
Max Input Power: 100mW
Cable Type: Nylon Braided
Cable Length: 1.3m
Plug Type: 3.5mm Gold Plated
‘Sleek By 50 Cent’ Headphones Released…Will They Rival Beats by Dr. Dre?
Last month, Hip Hop star 50 Cent announced the release of his new line of headphones, “Sleek By 50 Cent”. These headphones feature Kleer lossless wireless technology with military-grade metals…Now the wireless thing is cool and all, but what does 50 Cent expect you to be doing with these headphones that justify the use of military-grade metals? I don’t know, but you can be sure that these headphones will be able to stand up to a good amount of abuse. Anyways, the Kleer lossless wireless technology is supposed to produce a cleaner sound than Bluetooth devices, and it gives these headphones one cool little extra feature. Apparently, up to “four pairs of these headphones can listen to the same audio source at once.” That means you don’t have to split your earphones to share music with your friends. There is no set price or release date yet, but with all these features, I would expect these to cost a good amount more than Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. If not, then Dr. Dre’s got some serious competition coming up.
Get more info about these headphones here .
http://mashable.com/2011/01/07/50-cent-headphones/
Was the Attempted Ban On Headphones a Step in the Right Direction?
Recently, a 46 year old man named Clinton Walker from Southampton Township, New Jersey was hit and killed by a train while wearing headphones. Troopers say he was “searching for loose scrap metal on railroad tracks near Mount Rock Road in Southampton Township.” Obviously, it was a bad idea in the first place, but let’s stop and think for a second. If he wasn’t wearing headphones, he would most likely still be alive today. Also recently, a 16-year-old girl from Melbourne, Australia was hit by a car while listening to her mp3 player. Luckily, she is still alive, however she is suffering from serious head injuries. Again, it was most likely not the headphones that caused the accident, but they surely must have affected it in some way. If she wasn’t wearing headphones, the outcome could have been drastically different. Maybe the lawmakers who attempted to ban headphones were right… Although I do not completely agree with banning or even restricting the use of headphones for pedestrians, I can see that there is some validity to their reasoning for attempting to do so. I still believe that there should not be any law that restricts any individual’s freedom in a way such as this. I believe a better idea would be to increase the awareness of the dangers of wearing headphones while walking on the street rather than outright banning their use. What do you think would be the best idea?
http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story/Man-killed-by-train/aIN28WEI4kCd0lOIY4PCOA.cspx
Want Your Headphones to Sound Better For Free? Burn ‘Em In.
Did you know that there is a way to improve the audio quality of your headphones? Sure you could buy devices such as headphone amplifiers to do the trick, but could you believe that there is a way to do it without buying any extra gadgets or paying any extra money? Well there is a way, and it’s called burning in your headphones. Many audiophiles around the world believe that by burning in your headphones, you can noticeably improve the quality of their sound output. Now don’t worry, it does not have anything to do with literally burning your headphones, and it’s much simpler than you might think. The concept of burning in headphones is the same as breaking in a new pair of shoes, a baseball glove, or pretty much anything that is new. What’s the best way to do this? Well, by using them! Unfortunately, if you’ve had your headphones for a while and they have already been used frequently (like hundreds or even thousands of hours) you may have already burned them in enough through their repeated use, and that’s about as good as you’re going to get them. However, if your headphones are fairly new, and of somewhat good quality (a pair of headphones that they give away on airplanes probably won’t work), then they can possibly benefit from a burn in process.
There is more than one method to burn in your headphones, and which one you choose is ultimately up to you. There is no concrete evidence that one method is better than the other, so feel free to pick whichever you like. The suggested time to burn in headphones is approximately 100-200 hours, but many people notice an improvement even with a considerably less amount of burn in time. It is also suggested to play the sounds at your normal listening level or slightly higher than your normal listening level. Do not play them at extremely high levels however, unless you want to risk damaging your headphones.
Method 1 : Noise
One popular way to burn in headphones is through the use of playing different types of noises through them. By noise, I mean sine wave sweeps, pink noise, white noise, AM/FM static, etc. You can get a bunch of these noise files here. Pick a file and play it on repeat (with your headphones connected of course) through your iPod, computer, or whatever you use to listen to music. You can also download multiple files and have those play on repeat, or combine them into one audio track and loop it. You can use a free program such as Audacity to combine and loop these audio files.
Method 2 : Music
Another way to burn in your headphones is simply through playing music. You can really use any music to burn in your headphones, but ideally you would want to use something that covers all of the frequencies from high to low. The best way to do this in my opinion would be to create a playlist of different types of songs. Find some songs with heavy bass, find some songs with high pitched notes, and find some songs that are prominent in the mid-range frequencies to balance it out.
Method 3 : Just use them!
Any time you use your headphones, you are technically burning them in. This means that simply by listening to music or any other audio source through your headphones, you are improving their audio quality! It is a gradual process, and it would take much longer than the previous two, but it is still a valid method.
Ultimately, there really are no rules to burning in your headphones. There also aren’t any rules as to what your headphones are supposed to sound like. It all depends on you, the person listening to them. If you’re happy with how your headphones sound after only a few hours of burning them in, then that’s the best way to do it. If you’re happy with how they sound now, then that’s fine! However, if you feel like your headphones could use a bit of an improvement, try burning them in. It won’t cost you a cent, so why not give it a try?
Have you already tried burning in your headphones? If so, how did it work out for you?
The Future of Headphones II : The Nox Admiral
Pretty sweet right? It looks like something ripped off of a robot’s head. So that’s cool and all, but that’s not all that these headphones have to offer. So what makes these headphones so special? How about 7.1 - channel surround sound? How about mobile Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi connectivity? Still not impressed? How about the fact that it has full wireless audio and communication on game consoles? And if that’s still not good enough for you, this headset features one little extra thing : a freaking LCD touch screen with gesture control, powered by Google’s Android operating system. Now THAT is something special. Look out for these when they come out later this year.
“Powered by the Android OS, the Admiral Touch takes full advantage of available streaming music including Pandora, and VoIP applications such as MSN chat and , thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. With 7.1-channel digital surround sound, the Admiral and Admiral Touch create an immersive experience for playing video games, listening to music and watching movies, as well as crisp, clear audio for phone calls, making it the only truly wireless headset available on the market. Featuring rotating ear-cups that double as a loudspeaker, both headsets will offer maximum versatility and compatibility with PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PCs, personal music players such as the iPod, home theaters and cell phones and all other electronic devices with a standard 3.5 mm jack and/or any devices with built-in bluetooth. A removable and rechargeable Li-Ion battery provides more than five hours of battery life for optimal usage with any compatible product.”
http://www.legitreviews.com/news/9780/
The Future of Headphones: Daft Punk Tron T1 by Monster
First of all, these headphones are being produced by Monster, the same company that produces Dr. Dre’s Beats by Dre headphones. Meaning: You can be sure that the audio quality will be pretty damn good. Now personally, I think that these are some of the coolest looking headphones to hit the market. It may not appeal to everyone, but I definitely like the futuristic look, and with LED lights inside the headphones, it makes it even better. It looks like these headphones will be coming out in black as well, which I prefer over the white ones.
Product Features:
Advanced studio driver design for ultra precision surround sound slarity.
Extra large over ear drivers for deep bass and low end surround sound effects.
64 Embedded Tron legacy LED light drivers for animated lighting effects.
Passive noise Isolation technology.
Monster headphone cable with Quadripole twisted pair construction for balanced sound and clarity.
Get more information about these headphones here.
Zumreed X2 Hybrid : Headphones and Speakers in One Case
In these current times, many people like to listen to their music loud. Really loud. Like loud enough that they might as well have speakers strapped to their heads. Well, that’s exactly what the Zumreed X2 will allow you to do. Strap speakers to your head. The interior earcups of these headphones will function as a normal pair of headphones, while the outside of the earcups function as speakers. All you have to do to change where the music comes out from is flip a switch. Seems simple enough. These headphones will come in a few different colors, and include a 3.5mm stereo gold plated plug and a 6.3mm stereo plug. Look out for these when they come out around May.
Star Wars Darth Vader Headphones
Are you a fan of Star Wars? Fan of cool looking headphones? How about a fan of cool looking Star Wars headphones? If you are any of these, you might just want to take a look at these new officially licensed Darth Vader headphones. Although there doesn’t seem to be anything special about them in terms of audio quality, they sure as hell look pretty nice-even more so if you are a Star Wars fan. You can purchase a pair of these headphones here , and at a price of £34.99 (about $55), you really can’t go wrong.
Features:
Officially licensed Star Wars headphones
Adjustable headstrap
Technical Specification:
Driver Unit: 40mm Power Drivers
Frequency Range: 20 Hz ~ 20 kHz
Impedance: 32 ohm
1KHz Sensitivity: 115dB
Max Input Power: 100mW
Plug: 3.5 mm
Coil Cord: 1.2m
Premium replacement warranty: 1 year
Dimensions:
Measures approximately 14cm(W) x 15.5cm(H) x 7.5cm(D)
Skullcandy Headphone Concept: Headbanger
For those of you who like to listen to music while you work out, you may be familiar with a few of the problems that it creates. An ear bud may fall out in the middle of a work out, it’s uncomfortable to wear, and last but not least, the sound quality is never really that great. Luckily, thanks to designer Benjamin Lotte and Skullcandy, these problems may just have been solved. The Headbanger headphones look like they will allow you to blast away calories—and your eardrums—in comfort.
This headphone/headband hybrid looks like it will have a number of cool and useful features. The headband will be adjustable to prevent the headphones from falling off in the middle of your workout, and the sound quality will likely be similar to that of any other pair of Skullcandy headphones. It also has customizable color schemes to match all of your workout attire so you can be stylish in them as well. It sounds like it will be a pretty good headset to me. The only thing that I can think of that would improve these was if they were wireless headphones. Regardless, these still seem like a fantastic product, and I know I will definitely be interested when these come out!